Julie Benz

Biography: Julie Benz was supposed to be a doctor, not an ice skater, not an actress. She comes from a whole family of doctors. Her father is a well-respected surgeon in Pittsburgh. Once he made her watch 6 hours of hemorrhoid surgery on videotape. That's when she decided not to be a doctor. She would rather play one on TV. Julie competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in junior ice dancing with David Schilling, placing 13th. She knew she wanted to get out of skating by the time she was 18 but her skating ended before then. When she had bad leg fracture and stopped competing at the age of 16. From there she got involved in modeling which later lead to her moving to NY for acting work. She took acting classes at NYC and has been with her manager, Vincent Cirrincione for 14 years. Julie first began acting in 1990 with the small role in the film Due occhi diabolici. In 1997, Julie had a memorable role in the movie As Good as It Gets as a receptionist. That same year, she also started her role as Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She eventually went on to Buffy's spin-off show, Angel, where her character got more of a back-story and more screen time. Julie married actor and comedian Jon Kassir in 1998. Jon is better know as the voice of the "Crypt Keeper" from HBO's Tales From the Crypt. She is most memorable for her character Darla in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Her Theater work includes: ROMEO AND JULIET (Interact) TO SLEEP (Nikitsky Theater) ON THE TOWN (Abe Burrows Theater) GREASE (University Theater) THE PROPOSAL (The Company Theater)… Expand